It's Penance
by tkross
Summary: Rose watches Broadchurch with Mickey and the Doctor in the TARDIS media room, and Mickey notices something that no one else does (includes mentions of DI Alec Hardy)


Rose worried her fingers between the loose strands of her hair as she tried to focus on the murder mystery series currently playing on the small television screen in the TARDIS media room. Despite her effort to concentrate, her mind kept wandering to where she was sitting, or more accurately, to the males on either side of her. The cosy sofa was meant for only two people, yet to her right sat Mickey, and to her left sat the Doctor.

Feeling crowded and awkward, she'd tried to move to the plush chair in the corner at the beginning of the episode, but they'd both pulled her back down, insisting there was plenty of room for all of them. Though the sofa was exceptionally comfortable, she suspected they had a different reason for refusing to move; that reason was quickly becoming quite evident.

Mickey yawned loudly, making a great show of stretching out his limbs, and then casually draped his left arm across Rose's shoulders. She looked at him with a frown. It wasn't quite a cuddle and she had always been a tactile and affectionate person, but she didn't want him to get the wrong impression. He knew she wasn't interested in him like that anymore, as they'd had several conversations about it recently and he'd seemed to understand.

Just as she was about to tell Mickey to give her some space, she felt fingers tracing lightly up and down her left arm. She turned to face the time lord, looked down at his hand, and then quirked her eyebrow at him. Showing no reaction to her questioning glance, the Doctor kept his eyes facing forward, trained on the television screen, and continued his ministrations for a few seconds before resting his hand on her upper thigh. Rose felt her cheeks flush. She often snuggled with the Doctor during movies, but not with Mickey in the room and things had never progressed beyond friendly hugging and chaste caresses. While the thought of his current hand placement possibly meaning more titillated her, she did not want to be a pawn in what looked like a silly game between men.

Rose hit the pause button on the remote. "Okay, that's it. What the hell are you two playing at?" she demanded.

The Doctor and Mickey both turned to face her.

"Erm, sorry?" the Doctor said, looking far too wide-eyed and innocent to be convincing. He lifted his hand off of her thigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Something bothering you, babe?" Mickey asked with a similar expression, moving his arm off of her shoulders.

Rose crossed her arms and huffed in impatience. "Yes, something's botherin' me, Mickey! For the past twenty minutes you two have been in some sort of silent bloke competition over god knows what and I can't concentrate on what DI Alec Hottie is doing or saying! So quit the innocent act and tell me what's going on between you."

They both looked at her with bemused expressions.

"Well?" she asked, growing more and more irritated at their nonchalance.

"You don't even know what you just said, do you?" Mickey said, shaking his head at her. "Did you hear what she called that detective bloke on telly, boss?"

"Oh, I definitely did Mickety Mick. I even heard her enunciation of the word — my ears are quite a bit more precise than yours." The Doctor sniffed dramatically. "Superior biology." Mickey rolled his eyes.

"Heard what? What'd I say?" She let out a frustrated breath, blowing her hair out of her face. "You two are driving me barmy! Will someone please start making sense? And don't think I haven't noticed how you're both dodging my question," Rose said, pointing her finger back and forth at both of them.

The Doctor scrunched up his nose. "Well, Rose, you just made a remarkably awful pun. Although, I suppose as far as puns go it's not terrible, really, and actually, it might even be a bit brilliant, considering the history of puns and, well, slang in general. But technically, since you apparently didn't know you were making the pun in the first place, it would be more accurate to call it a Freudian slip. No, hold on. It wouldn't be that either, it'd be — "

"Oi! You're just confusing her even more. She obviously doesn't realise what she's said, does she? And here you are going on about the history of puns without even tellin' her," Mickey shook his head and then turned his attention to Rose. "You called grumpy face DI Alec Hardy 'DI Alec Hottie' and genius over here chooses to focus on the fact that you've used a bad pun instead of focusing on the obvious."

"I what? I did not!" Rose felt unsure. "Did I?" They both nodded. "Well, so what if I did? He is a bit fit, you have to admit." She motioned her head at the screen.

"Well, you would think that," Mickey said in a matter of fact tone.

"And why's that then?" Rose asked, still bewildered and feeling like she'd lost control of the conversation.

"Oh come on! You really haven't noticed? Either of you?" At their blank looks, he continued. "This is just too good." Mickey started chuckling to himself. "Well first of all, there's the fact that he's all tortured and mysterious and older than you are. Plus he's grumpy as hell and right rude with all his clever one-liners. Just the sort of bloke you'd fancy these days." He paused for effect. "And that's not even bringing in the most obvious reason of the lot."

"You have no idea what you're talking about Mickey. I've never fancied anyone like that," Rose said in a tone that was much calmer than she felt. She didn't appreciate being made into a joke and also didn't understand why it was such a big deal that she thought a television actor was attractive.

The Doctor cleared his throat and rubbed at the back of his neck so hard that Rose was sure there would be red marks. "I'll just leave you two to your domestic. I have some TARDIS repairs that I could —"

"Oh no you don't boss! This is about you too," Mickey said, pointing at him with a smug grin. He seemed to be enjoying the argument a little too much

"Not to mention, neither of you have bothered to answer my question. This is ridiculous. I think I know what you're getting at Mickey, but you've got it all wrong. He was — is — not like that. You don't know him like I do." Rose felt cornered, but she wasn't going to let Mickey belittle her relationship with the Doctor for the sake of an argument.

"Oh really, so big ears in leather with a chip on his shoulder wasn't any of those things? What about Mister rude and clever over here? And then there's the fact that they —" he pointed at the man paused on the screen and then at the Doctor, "- could be twins. Look at 'em."

Rose raised her voice a little, betraying the anger she was beginning to feel. "Well, yeah. I suppose he is a bit like that sometimes, but he's also so much more than that! You're over simplifying. And 'big ears' as you call him was really very goofy and sweet a lot of the time. You just didn't see it." Rose grabbed onto the Doctor's hand, intertwining their fingers together. The Doctor beamed and stuck his tongue out at Mickey.

Rose furrowed her eyebrows. "Hold on. Did you just say they could be twins?" She leaned forward to look more closely at the screen. "Oh my god, you're right!" She slunk back into the sofa, putting her free hand over her mouth.

"WHAT? He looks nothing like me!" the Doctor screeched. He let go of Rose's hand to pull his glasses out of his pocket. Putting them on, he squinted as he looked more closely at the man on the screen.

"So much for superior biology," Mickey scoffed

"Oh quiet you, I'm still looking!" The Doctor leaned even closer to the television. "Nah, I don't see a resemblance. Weeell, I suppose he does have my eyes and maybe my nose. But look at that hair! I'd regenerate myself if I had hair like that, on my head or on my face. And the ears aren't even the same size. Plus he looks much, much older - not a line on my face, see?" He ran his hands up and down his face in demonstration and then shook himself as if repulsed.

Rose stifled the laughter she felt bubbling up inside of her and looked at the Doctor in disbelief. Sure, she hadn't noticed right away, but now that it had been pointed out to her, it was impossible not to see how much they looked alike. "Oh come on, Doctor, you have to admit he looks just like you. In fact, maybe he _is_ you. Maybe you decide to do an acting gig in the future? Broadchurch will be made in, what, 2012 or 2013, yeah? That's not too far off, well, not that it matters. Could pop in anytime," Rose said.

"Could do, yeah. But -" the Doctor cut himself off and whipped his head around to face her. "Rose! I thought you were on my side! You are joking right? Having a go at me?" he practically whinged, even sticking his bottom lip out a bit. Then his face suddenly changed to a smug grin. "Hold on. You said you thought he was fit! Called him 'DI Hottie' and everything. So if I look just like him…do you have any secret nicknames for me, Rose? Doctor sexy, perhaps?" he said, popping the 'p' and waggling his eyebrows in exaggerated glee.

Sudden heat spread up Rose's neck and over her cheeks, this time in pure embarrassment. She'd forgotten what had started the argument in the first place. Averting her eyes, she began biting her thumbnail.

Mickey leaned against the back of the sofa and crossed his arms behind his head, watching them both in self-satisfied amusement. Rose felt annoyed at the surplus of male arrogance in the room so she lightly swatted his elbow. "Hey, what'd you do that for? I didn't do anything!" he complained.

"Did too, Mickey. You started this whole thing. You've been baiting him all night long and you know it." Rose sighed. She just wanted to finish the episode, so that they could move on to the next one and eventually find out who killed Danny Latimer, but at this rate they would never see the ending. The Doctor had bet her ten quid that he would guess the killer first and she could rarely resist a bet, so of course she'd accepted the challenge.

"Me? I started it? Pull the other one! Big superior time lord over there was the one that bet me five quid he'd get a cuddle out of you before I could." Mickey stood up and started to walk towards the door.

Rose gaped at the Doctor, who was currently rubbing the same spot on the back of his neck and undoubtedly creating welts this time.

Mickey stopped, resting his forehead on the doorframe. "I was just tryin' to help, all right. Honestly, the sexual tension between the two of you is ridiculous. Just shag already! You've got my blessing and everything, not that you need it. I just want you to be happy. So what if I'm proud of bein' right for a change?"

Rose walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. "I'm sorry Micks, I shouldn't have blamed you. You've still got it all wrong though. The Doctor and me, we aren't like that."

Mickey sighed and looked her in the eye. "Yeah, you're 'better than that' right? You and I both know that's not true." He gestured towards the Doctor. "He knows it too. So the sooner we all start admitting it, the better. I'm going to bed." Pushing the door open, he walked out of the room.

With a curse on her lips, Rose closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. The next several minutes could potentially be very awkward and she didn't know if she had the energy to deal with it. Of course there was also a different direction that they could go… She stopped that train of thought immediately. The Doctor would have retreated into himself by now, relying on humour or diversion as a tactic to distract her.

"Rose? Are you going to stay over there all night?" the Doctor asked quietly.

"Might do," she said, still not facing him. "Thought I would take a trip to the kitchen though. Would you like a cuppa? Or a sandwich? I'm starved. We were so wrapped up in the telly that we forgot to eat. Well, there was the popcorn that you made earlier, I suppose, but that didn't exactly fill me up and —"

"Blimey! And you say I have a gob. Just come back and sit for a moment first, please? I'll explain everything." Rose looked at him in surprise; she'd thought she was going to have to pry the truth out of him with tea and nibbles.

He looked so vulnerable sitting there by himself, running his hands roughly through his hair. She bit her bottom lip, walked back to the sofa and sat down in the space right next to him.

"So, you're making bets with Mickey now too? I thought that was our thing. Though mind you, we've never made a bet like that," she teased him.

"Ah. Well, I had to do it, really. He challenged my masculine prowess - said I didn't have the guts to make a move. Couldn't have that. Then there's the fact that he's absolutely correct about -" he stopped abruptly in hesitation.

"About?" she prompted, her jaw clenched in nervous anticipation of what he was about to say.

He met her eyes. "About us."

"So you -" she started to ask but he cut her off with a nod.

"And you too?" He asked, his eyes flicking momentarily to her lips.

She smiled nervously, licked her lips, and then nodded too. Apparently they were going to admit their feelings without actually saying anything.

"There's a smile! You've barely smiled all night and that's just not right. The world — and the TARDIS - is a much darker place without Rose Tyler smiles," the Doctor beamed at her, turning towards her and leaning his forehead against hers.

Rose swallowed. She lifted her hands to his face and began rubbing her thumbs gently over his sideburns, feeling the roughness of the hair there for a hint of tangibility, for proof that this was really happening. Licking her lips, she tilted her head and brought her mouth closer to his, so close that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek, could smell the subtle scent of his aftershave. At first he didn't move and for a moment she wondered if she'd misinterpreted his intentions, but then his hands were cupping her cheeks, and his eyes were focusing on her with heated intensity. She averted her eyes, looking down at his lips instead; the passion in his gaze was too much for her and yet not enough.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she moved the short distance needed for their lips to meet and pressed a chaste kiss against the corner of his mouth. He groaned, immediately opening his mouth to her and kissing her back more roughly than she had kissed him, capturing her lips again and again. When she finally dared to taste him, he sucked her tongue into his mouth and began tangling his own with it in hungry exploration. It was messy at first, teeth crashing, and too much saliva, but then he slowed down, allowing them both to savour the sensations. He tasted of tea and popcorn and something just very uniquely Doctor that she couldn't describe; she just knew she wanted more of it, wanted to learn every part of him. Finally she broke away, needing to breathe through her mouth.

Resting his forehead against hers again, Rose was proud to see that he too was flushed and panting for air. "So what do you say?" he said affecting a Scottish accent. "Would you want to relax a bit with me here tonight, even though I'm the worst cop in Britain?"

"You did _not_ just say that." Rose grinned at him. "Poor Alec though, he's so lonely. Not that I can blame Becca for turning him down; he is in pretty bad shape and she barely knows him." Rose sucked on her bottom lip, suddenly feeling very concerned. "Oh no! You don't think he'll die do you? They seem to be leading up to something like that."

The Doctor frowned. "Uh, Rose, would you rather watch telly or get back to what we were doing a moment ago?"

Rose glanced at the television, tapping her chin and pretending to consider.

"Oh come on!" the Doctor protested.

Feeling suddenly bold and wanting to kiss the pout off of the Doctor's face, Rose slid onto his lap, straddling him with her legs wrapped around his back. She draped her arms around his neck and tilted her face up at him. With a little smile, she said, "speak in a Scottish accent again and you just might get lucky." For emphasis, she pressed her pelvis into his erection, making him hiss. He moved his hands up and down her back and pulled her closer, his lips hovering just above hers.

"Oh like that do you? I suspected as much. You did seem particularly flustered when we were in Scotland and I pretended to be James McCrimmon," he teased her with a small smile.

"Yeah, well..." Rose trailed off, not confirming or denying anything.

"Do you forgive me then?" he asked sincerely.

"For what?" she said, suddenly caught off guard.

"For making that bet with Mickey."

Rose smiled mischievously, her tongue touching her top lip. Pulling on his tie, she said, "you're just gonna have to do some penance."

The Doctor groaned at her joke and then nipped at her tongue with his teeth. "You have no idea what that smile does to me, do you?"

Rose looked down at his erection and then back up at his face. "I think I've got a pretty good idea, yeah." She deliberately smiled the same way again to tease him.

"You wanton woman. Come here. I think it's time I got started on that penance, don't you?" He seized her lips once again and spent the rest of the night doing just that.

THE END


End file.
